


Distance

by YourShadow



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Distance, M/M, One-Shot, Songfic, little gestures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-22
Updated: 2014-10-22
Packaged: 2018-02-22 05:57:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2497049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YourShadow/pseuds/YourShadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the little things that show you care: Small touches, a light embrace, a warm smile. </p>
<p>And I will make sure to keep my distance<br/>Say I love you when you're not listening<br/>And how long can we keep this up?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Distance

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Attack on Titan belongs to Isayama. The song belongs to Christina Perri.

_The sun is filling up the room, and I can hear you dreaming_

_Do you feel the way I do, right now?_

Erwin walked into his office to see Levi cleaning the floor. On his hands and knees, bent over to scrub maliciously at the wood surface, ass in the air. Erwin paused, shutting the door slowly, and leaned against the wall, watching. After a moment, Levi noticed his presence and looked back at him, sitting on his heels.

“What are you looking at?”

“Oh, just admiring the view.” Erwin smiled. Levi scowled at him, returning to the floor.

“Pervert.”

Erwin chuckled, coming around to sit at his desk and begin some paperwork. Levi cleaned everywhere, and there was no way to stop him. If the captain wanted to scrub his floor spotless, Erwin wasn’t going to argue.

***

_I wish we would just give up, ‘cause the best part is falling_

_Call it anything but love_

When Erwin walked into the dining area, he saw Levi standing on the counter in order to dust and wipe the top shelf. Instantly, the commander felt anxious about Levi’s precarious position, limbs tensing and heart racing.

“You’re going to fall like that.” He spoke quietly, so as not to startle the captain.

Levi turned to look back at him over his shoulder, one hand holding on to the top shelf. “Tch, I won’t fall.” He replied, then turned back to the shelf to be confronted by a large and rather disturbing bug. With a jerk, he lost his footing and started falling to the ground, only to land in Erwin’s arms, feet still on the counter. The smaller man glanced up at the commander with a slightly appreciative expression.

“Are you alright?” Erwin asked, and Levi could clearly hear the concern in his voice.

Levi kept his eyes on Erwin’s as he pointed to the top shelf. “Bug.” He stated simply.

Erwin acted quickly, sweeping Levi’s feet off the counter and into his arms, carrying him bridal style as he took a few steps back. The way his shoulders were hunched, and the mortified expression on his usually calm features, was enough to tell Levi how much Erwin shared in his disgust of bugs.

“Mike!” the commander called loudly. After a few minutes they heard Mike’s footsteps, and the man himself entered the room with a curious yet neutral expression. He didn’t blink at their positions. Levi pointed again by way of explanation and Mike’s eyes traveled from the pair to the bug eyeing them from the shelf, twitching its antennae villainously.

With a sigh, Mike approached and easily squashed the bug under his large fist. Levi scrunched his face up and his silent comrade made sure to wash his hands thoroughly, then wiped down the shelf to rid it of the bug’s remains. Erwin nodded to him as the man left.

After a few moments, Levi spoke again. “You can put me down now.”

Erwin obliged with only a little awkwardness, setting Levi down. “Just uh…use a stool next time.” Levi blinked at him, and Erwin turned on his heel to leave, forgetting what he originally came in for.

***

_And I will make sure to keep my distance_

_Say I love you when you’re not listening_

_And how long can we keep this up?_

This time Levi was dusting the shelves of his bookcases, once again tempting fate by standing on the small amount of space allowed by the ledges where the books were stacked. Erwin reached up to take down a book nearby Levi’s position, easily reaching farther than Levi’s duster. He could feel those steel grey eyes glaring at him, envious of his height. Without a word, he used his foot to slide a stool next to Levi, who glanced at it, glared back up at Erwin, and then accepted defeat.

Now on a stool, Levi ignored the knowing smile Erwin had as he took the book back to his desk. Admittedly, the stool worked out much better than having his heels dangle over the edge, although he didn’t want to say it out loud.

***

_Please don’t stand so close to me, I’m having trouble breathing_

_I’m afraid of what you’ll see right now_

Erwin looked everywhere, but there was no sign of his captain. It was dark, and everyone was heading to bed, but Levi’s absence was obvious. After searching the shared quarters of the soldiers and empty bedrooms in the officer’s sections, Erwin frowned. He decided to explore the entire base, worried about Levi’s disappearance. He knew he shouldn’t be, but for some reason he couldn’t help his concern.

There was a storm outside, with thunder clapping loudly and lightning flashing threateningly nearby. It didn’t bother the commander, but he wondered if it affected the captain.

Sure enough, he finally found Levi huddled up in the corner of a hallway, curled into a ball with his arms wrapped tightly around his knees and his head tucked down to his chest. As Erwin approached, he realized Levi was shaking, twitching at each crack of thunder and flash of lightning. Without a word, Erwin knelt down to pick Levi up. The captain clung to him, head tucked between his neck and shoulder, fingers digging into his back, as he was carried down the hall.

Erwin felt each shudder and quake Levi produced as the storm proceeded, glad he was able to find his comrade. He pushed the door open to his room and sat on the bed, holding Levi close, who adjusted his position and, surprisingly, remained in his arms the rest of the night.

***

_I’ll give you everything I am, all my broken heartbeats_

_Until I know you’ll understand_

It took a few weeks for Levi to finally notice.

“Erwin…” he sat up on his elbows and glanced at his surroundings, then turned his head to give the Commander a confused glare. “How did I get in your bed?”

The question amused and alarmed Erwin, who was reading over some paperwork with his back propped up against the wall. He glanced at Levi, eyebrows furrowing. “You…crawled in last night…like you’ve been doing every night.”

Levi looked down at the sheets, frowning. “When the hell did this happen?” he mumbled.

Erwin smiled, daring to pat Levi softly on the head. The captain shot him a warning glare, but the commander knew it was harmless. Well, probably. Maybe. He withdrew his hand quickly before it was bitten off.

Levi laid back down, resting his head on his hands as he contemplated how he got into this situation. He wasn’t blind or oblivious, just…curious. Thinking back over everything that happened from the day he joined the Scouting Legion, he started to piece together how they got this way.

***

_And I keep waiting for you to take me_

_You keep waiting to save what we have_

It started with a gentle hand on his shoulder, sinking lower to the small of his back. Levi barely noticed, because it happened so often with Erwin. Their silence spoke louder than any conversation they ever had.

_So I’ll make sure to keep my distance_

Levi always walked beside Erwin. Not behind him, not in front of him, but next to him as an equal. Everywhere he went, the commander was there. Or maybe, wherever Erwin happened to be, Levi would follow. He cleaned his office because the commander was too busy or didn’t care enough to do it himself, but it bothered Levi to no end. He didn’t ask permission, and Erwin didn’t question him about it.

_Say I love you when you’re not listening_

They sat together for meals—when Erwin could spare the chance to eat—and no one batted an eye. Hanji would occasionally glance between them, but never brought it up. Mike never said a word about seeing Erwin carry Levi around, or the touches they shared, or the stares placed between them.

But they knew. Everyone knew, but said nothing. How could it be that everyone but him seemed to notice?

_How long ‘til we call this love?_

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: I have a headcanon that they share small gestures to communicate their feelings, and these are only snippets. Just to be clear: the bed thing is just for comfort, they haven’t actually had sex. Levi doesn’t like to sleep alone, and Erwin doesn’t mind having a cuddle buddy.


End file.
